Machine for finishing turbine-blades and similar articles



W. H. MARTIN.

MACHINE FOR FINISHING TURBINE BLADES AND SIMILAR ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.23, I919.

1,381,486, A PatentedJune 14,1921.

4 SHEE-TSSHEET I.

W. H. MARTIN. MACHINE FOR FINISHING TURBINE BLADES AND SIMILAR ARTICLES.

APPLICATIGN FiLED' APR-23, I919.

Patented June 14, 1921.

H.- MART-IN. MACHINE FOR FINISHING TURBINE BLADES AND SIMILAR ARTICLES.

. APPLICATION F ILED APR.22, 1919.

v 486 Patented J 11116 14, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

w. H. MARTIN. MACHINE FOR HNISHING TURBINE BLADES AND SIMILAR ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED AP ILZS, I919- Patented June 14, 1921.

4 SHEETS-.SHEET 4- WILLIAM HAMILTON MARTIN, OF FLUSHING, NETHERLANDS.

MACHINE FOR FINISHING TURBINE-BLADES AND SIMILAR ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 14, 1921.

Application filed April 23, 1919. Serial No. 292,008.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, I/VILLIAM HAMILTON MARTIN, a subject of the Queen of Holland, residing at Flushing, the Netherlands, have invented Improvements in Machines for Finishing Turbine-Blades and Similar Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to'machines for shaping or forming turbine blades and the like from a bar of the proper blade section so as to adapt them for insertion in the grooves of the turbine drum and casing and for attachment of the usual strips or the like.

A machine according to the present invention is adapted to perform the several opera: tions necessary to convert a blade length of blade section bar into a completed blade during a continuous traverse of a work holder.

The machine comprises a bed over which traverses a table provided with means for gripping and holding a length of blade section bar without deforming it and a series of tools or devices which are so arranged as, during the traverse of the table, to face the base end of the blade, to shape that end of the blade to fit the groove by forming clovetail or other notches in it, to shape its other end to engage in the usual strip fitted to each row of blades, and, it may be to cut the blade length from the bar and dull the blade to receive the usual stiffening wire or wires. Usually, the tools are adj ustably se cured to the bed and the gripping and holding means have interchangeable gripping dies and are adjustable upon the table to enable different sizes of blades to be dealt with in the same machine.

The machine, which can be variously modified, should be heavily'built to avoid vibration during working and to thus insure accurate work.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one construction of machine embodying the present improvements,

Figure 1 being an end view,

Fig. 2 a plan,

Fig. 3 a side View with parts omitted, and

Fig. 4 a detail view, partly in section and to a larger scale. v

In this construction the machine comprises a bed 1 mounted on standards 2 and formed with slides 3 for the table 4; which is traversed by a screw 5 engaging a nut beneath it. Upon the table are tw clamping devices for gripping the bladesection bar toward each end of the blade length; these are adjustable transversely of the direction of movement of the table, and each conveniently comprises a jaw-like member 6 secured to the table by the bolts 7 and "tted with fixed and movable gripping dies 8 and 9 which when in gripping position, leave an aperture conforming to the blade section. The movable die may be held in the gripping position by a wedge 10 inserted in a vertical slot formed partly in the rear jaw or the member 8 and partly in the back or". the movable die 9 or as shown in the back of an interposed packing block 11 formed with a corresponding tongue 11 engaging the part slot in the die 9. Toward one side of the bed, in line with the apertures in the clamping dies when the table is in its initial position, is an adjustable screw stop or abutment 12 for determining the distance the end of the blade section bar can be pushed through the dies. On the other side of the bed slightly in advance lengthwise of the bed, may be a circular saw indicated by dotted lines at 13, which saw, during the first part of movement of the table, cutsofi the blade to the required length. On the same side or the bed as the stop and farther along it than the saw, is an end milling cutter 14 which faces the base of the blade and beyond this cutter are two milling cutters 15 adapted to dovetail or otherwise shape the base portion of the blade to fit the turbine drum or casing groove. Opposite these cutters on the other side ofthe table is a milling cutter 16 rotating about a vertical axis and shaped to cut away both edge portions of the end of the blade so as to leave a projecting center part which can be passed throughthe usual strip and riveted over; the cutter may be in the form or" a disk with peripheral groove, cutting surfaces being formed on the bottom of the groove, if required, and on the parts at the two sides of it, as shown, or it may be constituted by two cutters.

The two dovetailing milling cutters 15, which conveniently have cutting edges beveled to correspond to the dovetail and rotate about horizontal axes, are fixed upon spin dles 15 (Fig. 4:) mounted in bearings 17 carried by opposed standards or brackets 18; the upper and lower bearings 17 are adjustable vertically along the faces of the standards 18 by screws 19. The lower spindle 15 has a driving pulley 20 or equivalent pulley 23.

fixed directly to it, and the other spindle is driven from it through a pair of gear wheels 21. The end milling cutter 14 is fixed on a spindle 22 that is mounted in one of the standards 18 and is provided with a driving The two standards 18 are adjustable transversely and longitudinally in relation to each other and the whole arrangement permits of the adjustment of the cutter spindles 15 to suit different sizes of blades while maintaining the proper driving connections. Thus to permit the cutters 15 to be brought nearer together in a vertical direction, the standards 18 are moved a lit tle farther apart in order to allow the gear wheels 21 to mesh at a relatively dillerent angular position, the axis of one cutter being then no longer vertically above the axis of the other cutter as shown in Fig. 4.

The milling cutter 16 at the other side of the table has its spindle mounted vertically in an overhanging arm 2i projecting from a standard 25 adjustable transversely across the far end of the bed 1; the spindle is adjustable vertically and carries a driving pulley at its upper end.

The milling tools 1- 15 and 16 are driven by belts 26 and 2'? and 28 from a drum 29;

the circular saw may be similarly driven from the same drum.

The table traversing screw 5 may be operated by hand as in the arrangement illustrated, or be power driven, means being provided for varying its speed during the traverse of the table to suit the operation being performed, if desired.

At the far end of the bed are a number of transversely adjustable drills 30 for drilling the blades to receive the stiffening wires; these drills which are indicated diagrammatically only may be electrically, pneu matically, or otherwise driven and, as the drills will meet an inclined surface of the blade on which slip might otherwise occur, each drill may be sheathed in a guide the end face of which may be shaped to correspond to the inclined surface of the blade which presses against it, the guide being held up to said surface by a spring which yields as the table advances and drilling progresses. \Vhat I claim is j 1. A machine for converting a length of turbine blade section bar into a complete blade, comprising a bed, a tablereciprocating thereon, a blade holder adjustably mounted upon Such table, the said holder being arranged so that the blade travels parallel to itself, rotary cutting means the position of which is fixed relatively to the bed and in relation to which the blade length is initially adjusted in order to be operated upon thereby at one end, and rotary cutting means adjustable in directions parallel to and transversely of the reciprocating table in order to operate upon the. opposite end of the initially adjusted blade whatever its length.

" 2. A machine for converting a length of turbine blade section bar into a complete blade, comprising a bed, a table reciprocating thereon, means adjustable transversely of the table for gripping and holding the blade length without deforming it and so that it travels parallel to itself, cutting means at one side of the table rotating about a relatively stationary vertical axis in relation to which the blade length is initially adjusted endwise and rotary cutting means at the opposite side of the table adjustable upon the bed in directions parallel to and transversely of the table.

3. A machine for finishing turbine blades according to claim 2. wherein the tools are adjustably secured to the bed and the gripping and holding means have interchange able gripping dies and are adjustable upon the table to enable different sizes of blades to be dealt with in the same machine.

i. A machine for finishing turbine blades according to claim 2 wherein the gripping and holding means comprise two clamping devices for gripping the blade section bar or blank toward each end, each said device being constituted by a aw-lilze member fitted with fixed and movable gripping dies shaped to conform to the blade section and the movable die being held in the gripping position by means such as a wedge.

5. A machine for finishing turbine bladesv according to claim 2, wherein opposite the initial position of the gripping and holding means is an adjustable stop substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. A machine for finishing turbine blades according to claim 2 wherein, during the part oi the movements of the table, a circular saw cuts off the blade to the required length from the blade section bar.

7. A machine for finishing turbine blades according to claim 2 wherein an end milling cutter faces the base of the blade a fl then two milling cutters dovetail orotherwise shape its base portion while anothe" milling cuttershapes its opposite enc, sul' stantially as described.

8. A machine for finishing turbine blades according to claim 2 wherein drills for drilling the blades to receive the stifiening wires at the far end of the machine are provided with spring sheaths or guides adapted to check slipping of the drills on the blade t'ace, substantially as described.

Signed'at Flushing,'Holland, this 1st day of April, 1919. 

